Back To The 80s-Chapter 219 - 229: Abandoned Baby_1

Jia Xiu felt helpless. She had to place the baby on the bed, cover her with a blanket, and take the pot to get boiling water.

Once the baby was out of her mother’s arms, she suddenly burst into loud crying. Sun Erhui acted as if she didn’t hear it at all. She took out some dry food and slowly ate it, ignoring the baby’s heart-wrenching cries.

Gu Xiaobei glanced at Sun Erhui, put on his shoes, and got up to walk around so he wouldn’t have to watch the repulsive scene.

"The aisle is crowded; be careful," warned Lu Zhanguo.

"Understood, I’ll just walk to the head of our carriage, not go far," Gu Xiaobei slowly moved to the front of the carriage to stretch his legs. If he didn’t, they would most likely swell before he had a chance to disembark the train.

The area connecting the carriages was also crammed with people. Some, too tired to stand, simply laid on the floor, allowing others to step over them. Gu Xiaobei saw that moving forward would be difficult, so he slowly walked back.

At noon, Lu Zhanguo boiled some mutton several times until it was warm and edible. He then opened some salt, so Gu Xiaobei could use chopsticks to dip the meat and eat.

Watching Gu Xiaobei’s meal, Sun Erhui dry swallowed a few times. Her eyes shifted, planning in silence. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

While Lu Zhanguo went to wash the food box, she leaned toward Jia Xiu, whispering in her ear.

Gu Xiaobei watched as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law whispered together, their eyes continuously roaming his body. A sense of alertness washed over him. He felt a bit relieved knowing the money was safely in Lu Zhanguo’s pocket, and there were only a few outfits in the luggage bag.

Many people on the train spent the drawn-out journey playing cards or chatting.

As Jia Xiu held her baby, she asked Gu Xiaobei in a small voice, "Are you also going to the Capital City?"

"Yes," replied Gu Xiaobei with a nod.

"We’re going to visit my aunt’s house in the Capital City. What about you? Are you visiting relatives as well?" Jia Xiu probed further.

"We’re visiting my mother-in-law’s house," Gu Xiaobei found Jia Xiu’s sudden conversational efforts odd and suspicious.

Jia Xiu and Sun Erhui exchanged glances. The satisfaction in Sun Erhui’s eyes made Gu Xiaobei even more puzzled, stirring his recently settled alertness back up.

"Do you have any children?" asked Jia Xiu while patting the baby in her arms as if it was a casual conversation.

"No."

"My little girl just turned four months, and she’s such a good girl." As she spoke, Jia Xiu moved her baby closer to Gu Xiaobei.

Gu Xiaobei looked at the baby and nodded, "She’s chubby and quite adorable."

Jumping into the conversation, Sun Erhui said, "And my eldest granddaughter here, she’ll definitely be a top-tier maiden when she grows up. I just adore her so much." As she spoke, she exaggeratedly stroked the baby’s little face, putting on a doting grandmother act.

Gu Xiaobei, thinking back to how the child had cried in the morning without any response from Sun Erhui, found it confusing why she would put on such a performance.

"Do you like children? How about holding her for a bit?" Jia Xiu followed her mother-in-law’s lead and enthusiastically suggested.

Gu Xiaobei shook his head, "She’s too small, I dare not hold her. Just looking at her is enough." Although unsure of the pair’s intentions, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were up to no good and hoped to avoid any possible swindle.

Just as Lu Zhanguo returned from washing the food box, Jia Xiu, intimidated by his stern face, remained silent with the baby in her arms.

Rocked by the train, Gu Xiaobei felt drowsy and leaned against Lu Zhanguo, dozing off in a haze.

Sun Erhui had a simple idea: to offer the baby to Gu Xiaobei’s family. The two of them appeared well-dressed and well-fed, indicating their strong family background.

In recent years, family planning had been tight in the village, with the head of women workers knocking on doors daily. Any household exceeding the child limit would be forcibly taken for an immediate abortion.

Family planning correlated closely with the village chief’s performance. If a village performed well in family planning, the credit would be given to the chief’s good management.

Therefore, the village chief broadcasted daily: To get rich, plant trees first; have fewer children and raise more pigs.

Sun Erhui was a stickler for sons. When Jia Xiu was pregnant, she even sought out a quack doctor to take her pulse. They assured Sun Erhui it was a boy based on Jia Xiu’s strong pulse. Sun Erhui was overjoyed and even gave the doctor a dollar.

Later, villagers commented that Jia Xiu’s belly was pointy, and her movements agile, making it surely a boy. Sun Erhui was proud hearing this.

However, the midwife shattered her dreams when she announced it was a girl after the birth. Sun Erhui was stunned and didn’t even enter her daughter-in-law’s room after that.

Sun Erhui and the family couldn’t accept not having a son, which meant the end of the Zhang lineage. After discussing with her husband, Old Zhang, and her son, Zhang Jianjun, they decided to give the child away and claim she died so they could attempt to have another.

Initially, Jia Xiu disagreed, but witnessing her husband’s ever-darkening expression and the constant indirect criticism from her mother-in-law, she steeled her heart and agreed.

Now, Sun Erhui was scheming to hand the baby over to Gu Xiaobei and escape quietly with Jia Xiu.

The next morning, Gu Xiaobei noticed that Sun Erhui had seemingly transformed overnight. She held the baby, humming and singing happily, with an expression of utmost love.

As she held the baby, Sun Erhui smiled at Gu Xiaobei. "Look at my dear granddaughter, isn’t she delightful? Ah, she’s truly my precious gem." And ended by giving the baby a gentle kiss on her face.

Gu Xiaobei couldn’t understand the reason behind Sun Erhui’s drastic change in behavior, so he silently watched without uttering a word.

When the train was about to reach Zhengzhou Station, Jia Xiu was nowhere to be found. Holding the baby, Sun Erhui desperately said, "Miss, could you please hold the baby for a while? I have a stomachache and need to use the bathroom."

"I can’t, I’m pregnant." Gu Xiaobei refused outright.

Sun Erhui was taken aback by Gu Xiaobei’s blunt refusal. As the train was about to reach the station, she suggested, "How about I place the baby on the bed, and you just keep an eye on her?"

"The train is about to stop, and you won’t have time to use the restroom." Gu Xiaobei looked at Sun Erhui, puzzled.

It had never occurred to Sun Erhui that Gu Xiaobei wouldn’t fall for her plan. She and Jia Xiu had planned that Jia Xiu would wait near the door while she left the baby with Gu Xiaobei. Then she would find Jia Xiu, and they would disembark the train earlier together.

"Oh, I forgot," Sun Erhui said with an embarrassed smile.

It wasn’t until half a day later after the train had left Zhengzhou Station that Jia Xiu returned, giving Sun Erhui a questioning look. Sun Erhui shook her head.

Leaning against Lu Zhanguo, Gu Xiaobei squinted at them, her suspicion growing. What exactly were this mother and daughter-in-law duo trying to do?

The train was late, and it only arrived in the Capital City in the early hours of the fourth day. Everyone, who had endured more than three days on the train, could hardly wait to disembark and had already crowded the exit.

Lu Zhanguo and Gu Xiaobei, in their coats, sat on their beds, waiting for the crowd to disperse before disembarking. After all, it was the final station, they didn’t need to rush.

Gu Xiaobei saw Sun Erhui and Jia Xiu, frantic as they pushed their way through the crowd with the baby. It looked like they were in a hurry to disembark. Then, she noticed a suspicious-looking bulge at the spot where they had slept. Shocked, she went over to check and found it was the baby.